[RC4.0 - mostly final release] Cleanout – A Boom compatible Ultimate Doom slaughter wad

[bioshockfan90]

2 hours ago, epicyolomaster420 said:

Yea that yellow keycard is a bit of an ups-y on my part. It's way to easy for me to be randomly placing monsters on various dificulty settings throught the map & while I'm at it place down other things like teleport destinations, keys, ammo, health, weapons etc. while not paying attention to the dificulty settings I'm placing them under. I recently found for instance that I had placed down many of a map I had made for RAMP 2023's teleport destination spots on hard only and was too late to fix it (the project had already released).

I will try my best to adress it and other potencial problems like it in RC2.02, but sadly do not have time for that now, so you'll have to wait.

Also my apologies for being such  a scatter brain & missing something important like that. I won't let it happen again!

It's okay, I will be patient with the release. Thank you for responding! :)

[epicyolomaster420]

14 hours ago, bioshockfan90 said:

It's okay, I will be patient with the release. Thank you for responding! :)

Actually nevermind what I said yesterday. As it turns out I had some free time this afternoon and sorted out the problem you pointed out as well as checked all the keys in phase 1 to make sure no other such problems are present and even had time to make some other improvements (the most noticable of which is the change to a new menu font that now applies to the whole initial menu, episode selection screen & dificulty selection screen, as aposed to just the episode selection...):

Spoiler

 

 

You should therefore be able to play at least phase (episode) 1 on easy without fear now...

Edited August 30, 2023 by epicyolomaster420
added printscreens

[bioshockfan90]

43 minutes ago, epicyolomaster420 said:

Actually nevermind what I said yesterday. As it turns out I had some free time this afternoon and sorted out the problem you pointed out as well as checked all the keys in phase 1 to make sure no other such problems are present and even had time to make some other improvements (the most noticable of which is the change to a new menu font that now applies to the whole initial menu, episode selection screen & dificulty selection screen, as aposed to just the episode selection...):

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

You should therefore be able to play at least phase (episode) 1 on easy without fear now...

Cool, right on! I should have some time yet today to go through phase 1, I'll let you know what I think about balancing.

[epicyolomaster420]

14 hours ago, bioshockfan90 said:

Cool, right on! I should have some time yet today to go through phase 1, I'll let you know what I think about balancing.

Great, just keep in mind that you probably aren't going to be too impressed by it as 99,9% of the time I spent on balancing was on the UV (hard) dificulty (making sure the easy monster counts were aprox. 50% of the hard ones, that the medium ones were 75% of the hard ones and that all the health, ammo, armor and powerup pickups were the same was literally the only balancing I did there - I didn't even test on the lower dificulties once...)

 

Also I would like to remind @quakis to update his wad with this new update as some of the improvements I made were actually softlock resolutions in some of the maps he has not yet tested & some others were based on his earlier feedback (I finaly got round to re-making those E2M3 basketball hoopes out of mid textures, which I somehow forgot about before...)

Edited August 31, 2023 by epicyolomaster420
fixed typo

[epicyolomaster420]

I've just made another update. This time I found myself bothered by the fact that the kill count droped so much on the transition between map5 & map6 (from 666 to just 202)& then immediatly shot back up (to 712) in phase1 & that the final fight of P4M2 had too many monsters, so I reduced the monster count of P4M2 and added those monstersto P1M6 instead.The way I did this is by adding more or less a whole new fight here:

Spoiler

Besides this I also did some minor monster count adjustments in P4M1 and P4M3, but those are hardly worth a mention and am also going to trow a ping at @bioshockfan90 & @quakis so neither of you miss this update (I don't think either of you have played the maps affected by this update yet...)!

Edited August 31, 2023 by epicyolomaster420
fixed typo

[quakis]

Re: Missing Textures

I have the following console errors when loading both the Cleanout and OTEX11D1 wads with DOOM.wad in E2M5:

 

I checked both the Cleanout and OTEX11D1 wads in Slade for these texture names and cannot see them included

 

List of texture names for convenience from console errors I cannot find within those wads using SLADE (so far):

• WOODMET4
• WOOD9
• MARBGRAY

I have some minor extra notes for some of the previous levels I should bring up:
E1M3 - I forget to mention these texture issues around the perimeter found during my intial playthrough either causing HOMs or have the wrong texture applied. Incredibly minor really which is why I must have forgot about them but I think worth mentioning if you'd like to polish things up.

 

E2M3 - I really like the update to the bascketball hoops using midtextures instead, since they fix the sight lines really nicely.

I went ahead and created a simple midtexture you can use freely as a replacement for the hoop net if you want to, I went for a longer style of net so it stands out with a little dash of red and blue colour. I've packed it into a wad file so, assuming I did it right, it should be easier to extract the texture into your own wad if you decide to make use of it: Download Here

E2M5 - That massive structure off to the distance is a great foreshadowing of where you'll be going, however the skybox here covers most of it up from the starting location as shown in the first and second screenshot.

 

Would look pretty cool with the sky opened up a little like this screenshot to get a good starting look at the scale of it:

 

Back to main playthrough:

E2M6 - The Spaceport

As mentioned before, I'll be playing in smaller chunks and try to post feedback more often. Compared to the previous level this one was a rather tame and chill experience, which is a nice change of pace right after that wild and long excursion during E2M5 and it helped get back into my playthrough without much trouble. Many of the combat encounters weren't too tough to deal with, typically facing off against large numbers that involve moving around a lot and circle strafing. The Rocket Launcher was used abundantly here. Slime hazards kept things a little more interesting between balancing limited Hazsuit usage or resorting to dancing around on platform away from the hazards. This limits options like retreating into the big cross-platform room during one encounter unless you can afford chip damage or have a Hazsuit on hand. The new Lost Souls revealed another neat quirk of theirs during the last arena fight just before the exit; Using a BFG against a huge group of them can be very suicidal because of their projectile retaliation on death. This forces a little more thought behind when and where to shoot the BFG or be punished holding down the fire button without care, I quite like that dynamic.

 

Minor issues I came across:

- Inside the blue key arena, those towers with Cyberdemons and Cyberhellbaron aren't too effective unless you're a long distance away from them. Perhaps reducing or removing the window lip near them might provide a better vertical viewing angle for shooting out from. They barely pose a threat at the moment and never had to worry about their presence.

 

- Super minor flat misalignment but I'll mention it anyway: Inside the same arena you have a red-light flat (TLITE6_5) along the top. An ever slight adjustment of the upper/lower areas to be on-grid would fix the alignment without changing much at all to the area and line that flat up nicely.

 

- This barrier inside the wide-long corridor with tons of health/armour bonuses has a HOM, it's highlighted white so you can clearly see it.

 

- During the last fight you can hide here and be safe, even with Caco/LS flying around because they must always descend, making them very easy targets for rockets. It doesn't help you too much against the other foes around the arena however but can trivialise the incoming Caco / LS swarm.

 

- Inside these caves you can see a blue skull textures here. I thought it was a secret but turns out it's just a path for noise to travel through.

 

Edited September 3, 2023 by quakis

[epicyolomaster420]

2 hours ago, quakis said:

Re: Missing Textures

I have the following console errors when loading both the Cleanout and OTEX11D1 wads with DOOM.wad in E2M5:

 

I checked both the Cleanout and OTEX11D1 wads in Slade for these texture names and cannot see them included

 

List of texture names for convenience from console errors I cannot find within those wads using SLADE (so far):

• WOODMET4
• WOOD9
• MARBGRAY

I have some minor extra notes for some of the previous levels I should bring up:
E1M3 - I forget to mention these texture issues around the perimeter found during my intial playthrough either causing HOMs or have the wrong texture applied. Incredibly minor really which is why I must have forgot about them but I think worth mentioning if you'd like to polish things up.

 

E2M3 - I really like the update to the bascketball hoops using midtextures instead, since they fix the sight lines really nicely.

I went ahead and created a simple midtexture you can use freely as a replacement for the hoop net if you want to, I went for a longer style of net so it stands out with a little dash of red and blue colour. I've packed it into a wad file so, assuming I did it right, it should be easier to extract the texture into your own wad if you decide to make use of it: Download Here

E2M5 - That massive structure off to the distance is a great foreshadowing of where you'll be going, however the skybox here covers most of it up from the starting location as shown in the first and second screenshot.

 

Would look pretty cool with the sky opened up a little like this screenshot to get a good starting look at the scale of it:

 

Back to main playthrough:

E2M6 - The Spaceport

As mentioned before, I'll be playing in smaller chunks and try to post feedback more often. Compared to the previous level this one was a rather tame and chill experience, which is a nice change of pace right after that wild and long excursion during E2M5 and it helped get back into my playthrough without much trouble. Many of the combat encounters weren't too tough to deal with, typically facing off against large numbers that involve moving around a lot and circle strafing. The Rocket Launcher was used abundantly here. Slime hazards kept things a little more interesting between balancing limited Hazsuit usage or resorting to dancing around on platform away from the hazards. This limits options like retreating into the big cross-platform room during one encounter unless you can afford chip damage or have a Hazsuit on hand. The new Lost Souls revealed another neat quirk of theirs during the last arena fight just before the exit; Using a BFG against a huge group of them can be very suicidal because of their projectile retaliation on death. This forces a little more thought behind when and where to shoot the BFG or be punished holding down the fire button without care, I quite like that dynamic.

 

Minor issues I came across:

- Inside the blue key arena, those towers with Cyberdemons and Cyberhellbaron aren't too effective unless you're a long distance away from them. Perhaps reducing or removing the window lip near them might provide a better vertical viewing angle for shooting out from. They barely pose a threat at the moment and never had to worry about their presence.

 

- Super minor flat misalignment but I'll mention it anyway: Inside the same arena you have a red-light flat (TLITE6_5) along the top. An ever slight adjustment of the upper/lower areas to be on-grid would fix the alignment without changing much at all to the area and line that flat up nicely.

 

- This barrier inside the wide-long corridor with tons of health/armour bonuses has a HOM, it's highlighted white so you can clearly see it.

 

- During the last fight you can hide here and be safe, even with Caco/LS flying around because they must always descend, making them very easy targets for rockets. It doesn't help you too much against the other foes around the arena however but can trivialise the incoming Caco / LS swarm.

 

- Inside these caves you can see a blue skull textures here. I thought it was a secret but turns out it's just a path for noise to travel through.

 

As always, great feedback that has given me a lot to think about (fix) & also thanks for the net texture, but I have a problem getting to the download site because:

& after I allow the site:

Any chance you could fix the link for me?

Edited September 3, 2023 by epicyolomaster420
forgot to include some information...

[quakis]

I'll just attach the file here instead:

qtextures.zip

[epicyolomaster420]

1 minute ago, quakis said:

I'll just attach the file here instead:

qtextures.zip

Great, thanks!

[quakis]

RE: Missing Textures

Missing texture name from the console, also cannot find this one in either Cleanout or OTEX11D! wads:

• SW1MARB

E2M7: The Cybers Keep
I'm a little mixed on this one, leaning toward it being one of the weaker levels so far in Cleanout, which might be due to personal preferences than anything else really. I didn't mind the gameplay focus around balancing along thin ledges since that quirk is used a few times across the level under different circumstances and even during the finale albeit on a larger scale. Portions of the level however feel a little redundant or filler, stuff already done better in maps like E1M5 or E2M5. Everything before the final fight probably needs more time in the oven which I hope to highlight below why I felt this way;

 

Starting Cavern Segment:

• Honestly not a fan of this entire section, mostly because it's long and drawn out for pistol start being limited to pistol/fist/barrel usage.
• Couldn'd find it a fulfilling experience considering it's a very easy and simple section that goes on far longer than it should do and seems like it's padding out the length not in any meaningful way. The next swarm of enemies after pressing the switch wasn't anymore of a threat, only there to hold the player back from the upcoming real meat of the level.
• If this cavern section and the next sections felt like one more cohesive whole this might be a different story. Rather than a seperate segment that's forgotten about after clearing, it could server a similar function like the next bunch of caves and involve a more organic flow around the level. Sadly doing something like that at this late stage would probably require massive changes reworking the layout and progression.

Blue/Red/Yellow Key Hunt:

• The key hunt reminds me very much of the E1M5 section, except its more congested and less interesting overall besides an additional gameplay quirk that helps to define itself.
• Balancing along thin platforms while fighting off enemies is a fine concept to play around with, it just doesn't get much opportunity to breathe much here because everything feels so squashed together as if every nook needs to be filled in while the meaty concepts aren't explored enough.
  • There's one room using a thin beam to trigger a Cleanout Baron ambush - but safety is only a step away.
  • The beam passing by a Cyberdemon was a neat idea to feel intimidated - but it's a simple straight line run forward.
  • This also calls for a great opportunity to make certain beam balance challenges UV-only, with simpler challenges left for HMP and below.
  • Each key location could have also had dedicated sections involving variations to this beam-balancing gameplay using different hazards or combat setups.
• The overall visuals and design around here is very rough, many textures are misaligned and the general presentation feels a little too messy. I didn't take any screenshots because there's quite a lot of them to point out.
• If we compared it to the visuals found in the final arena, that area looks more polished boasting a nice texture scheme and style. Looks like a whole different map entirely plopped down side by side with this one.

Post-Exit Caco Swarm Arena:

• I had trouble during this fight, just couldn't figure out a good run, that's mostly on my behalf.
• It's not a bad concept though, overwhelming numbers while balancing around a death pit functions just fine.
• Health pickups did seem lacking, or rather the resources we do have access too are congested inside one of the more dangerous rooms. Most of the time it seemed like I just didn't have many good options with my routing to reach vital resources and couldn't corale enemies away without being overwhelmed.
  • Either an intentional design choice for challenge or maybe an oversight, I'd feel better to point this out just in case.
• As I complimented the BFG & Lost Soul dy-synergy quirk in the previous level, here that very concept plays out much more prominently except now with the new changes to Lost Souls their current numbers might be a bit too overtuned, primarily in the room with Spheres/Armour.
• BFG seems the most optimal weapon here with the speed at which enemies spawn in, but far far too risky with the potential projectile spam from Lost Souls on death and they litter the arena very fast.
• In the end I approached this fight as less of a battle to win and simply one to survive until the platform leading to the exit has risen enough to rush forward and complete the level.

General Afterthoughts:

I think E2M7 lacks some focus, throwing a bunch of ideas against the wall and seeing what sticks, but that lack of focus hurts what could be a distinct level if it clamps down on some core concepts it already builds upon. Right now it's like 3 confused levels merged together. E2M5 feels more cohesive and balanced by comparison. If the starting cavern was intergrated as a more organic portion of the key hunting section, maybe serving as a secondary pathway between areas once the main portions are unlocked, it won't feel so out of place and serve some non-linear functionality for key hunting. While at the same time doubling down on the level's core gimmick and exploring variations of that as suggested above, reducing any filler and making the pacing a little more snappy before heading over to the finale, it might feel like a more coherent level. But once again that would involve a significant amount of work it'd probably turn into a new level. Alternatively, skipping past the cave section might be a more appealing option to get straight to the main course as it should be the penultimate level for Phase 2 afterall.

 

E2M8: The Tower of the Dead

• I enjoyed this boss level albeit there's still room for some pacing improvements and minor polish.
• The starting berserker mosh pit honestly feels like a better version of E2M7's cave section, it's still not difficult but it's not boring either. I'm not too sure on it's purpose though considering the next segment with raising the platform fills in that gap well enough for a memorable combat setpiece. Again I don't dislike it's presense here since it works out as a cooldown after E2M7's finale while pumping you up for the fight coming up.
• Texture HOM here:
  
   
• I love the concept for the raising floor fight, like you're getting closer and closer to a big fight, however...
• 10 switches to raise it 10 times might be a bit too much, nothing seems to happen after each press either. I guess you could be pressing them while fighting off the insitial hordes spawning in, but I spent my time clearing the area first before doing anything. I guarantee most players will do this before proceeding on and then it becomes quiet for 9 more switches.
• I'd personally reduce to 3 minimum, each press pulling in some tougher enemy compositions, starting off tame and escalating as a fight for breathing space. Keeps the pacing snappier and to the point.
• While standing here (last platform raising switch) and trigger the wall (lift) the whole platform will lower to the very bottom, which then means waiting a long time to get back up to the top. Maybe have this sector also raise up alongside the big one so you don't need to apply a lift action here. Or have the lift only lower a small amount. Either option works, whichever seems more suitable.
  
   
• Is it possible to hide these monster pits? They stand out too much and I almost thought a trigger broke somewhere. Since you're using Boom format you could silently teleport those enemies in by making the usual monster closet outside the map and using doors/converyer belts to spawn them into position when you're ready. They won't need to be alerted beforehand either. Should have the same effect as here without the monster pits. I did a similar thing in my 50Shades level with the Mancubi near the exit (MAP05)
  
   
• These Bulldemons are stuck and can't do anything productive:
  
   
• I'm not sure if this idea will work well, but the finale on UV might benefit from a few turret-placement enemies to watch out for around the outer edge, maybe Cyberhellbarons, as it's a little easy to avoid the Cyberdemons. Those guys should (in theory) keep you wary with their more erractic projectile attacks and might push players to move back into the centre where the Cyberdemons are usually roaming around. They should serve as a good distraction. Again an untested idea, but the last fight might need a little more bite for an episode finale since many of the ground combatants are easy to avoid (or killed by Cyberdemon infighting).

 

E2M9: The Icon of S(imps)
Forgot to post thoughts on this one after finding the secret exit in my initial Phase 2 feedback, better late then never. Just a literal blast to play, it’s chill compared to the level preceding it but requires a little finesse to get started. Once a flow is established it just a cathartic experience blowing away imp after imp in large numbers. There’s not too much to say about this one besides it’s a nice reprieve after that “Epic Slaughter” arena in E2M4 and works well for pacing. It’s a relatively simple level in terms of goals and whether or not gunning down every imp is something you want to engage in. Fun change of pace and a suitable secret level gimmick.

 

Phew, Phase 2 complete. Good episode overall, on par with the first episode so far maybe with some stronger contenders. I'll be starting Phase 3 soon!

Edited September 7, 2023 by quakis
Several sentence adjustments / Typos

[Firedust]

Are there plans to make p4m7 and p4m8?

[epicyolomaster420]

On 9/8/2023 at 12:13 AM, Firedust said:

Are there plans to make p4m7 and p4m8?

Actualy I am starting to consider it, though my plans with the 2 levels so far are quite simple: A story oriented 5 min level with no monsters for P4M7 and the thanks for playing section that can currently be found in E4M6 for E4M8 (also with no monsters). Probably won't have time to get round to including them for a while though (I've got school obligations to worry about at the moment...).

Edited September 9, 2023 by epicyolomaster420
fixed typo

[epicyolomaster420]

On 9/7/2023 at 11:17 PM, quakis said:

RE: Missing Textures

Missing texture name from the console, also cannot find this one in either Cleanout or OTEX11D! wads:

• SW1MARB

E2M7: The Cybers Keep
I'm a little mixed on this one, leaning toward it being one of the weaker levels so far in Cleanout, which might be due to personal preferences than anything else really. I didn't mind the gameplay focus around balancing along thin ledges since that quirk is used a few times across the level under different circumstances and even during the finale albeit on a larger scale. Portions of the level however feel a little redundant or filler, stuff already done better in maps like E1M5 or E2M5. Everything before the final fight probably needs more time in the oven which I hope to highlight below why I felt this way;

 

Starting Cavern Segment:

• Honestly not a fan of this entire section, mostly because it's long and drawn out for pistol start being limited to pistol/fist/barrel usage.
• Couldn'd find it a fulfilling experience considering it's a very easy and simple section that goes on far longer than it should do and seems like it's padding out the length not in any meaningful way. The next swarm of enemies after pressing the switch wasn't anymore of a threat, only there to hold the player back from the upcoming real meat of the level.
• If this cavern section and the next sections felt like one more cohesive whole this might be a different story. Rather than a seperate segment that's forgotten about after clearing, it could server a similar function like the next bunch of caves and involve a more organic flow around the level. Sadly doing something like that at this late stage would probably require massive changes reworking the layout and progression.

Blue/Red/Yellow Key Hunt:

• The key hunt reminds me very much of the E1M5 section, except its more congested and less interesting overall besides an additional gameplay quirk that helps to define itself.
• Balancing along thin platforms while fighting off enemies is a fine concept to play around with, it just doesn't get much opportunity to breathe much here because everything feels so squashed together as if every nook needs to be filled in while the meaty concepts aren't explored enough.
  • There's one room using a thin beam to trigger a Cleanout Baron ambush - but safety is only a step away.
  • The beam passing by a Cyberdemon was a neat idea to feel intimidated - but it's a simple straight line run forward.
  • This also calls for a great opportunity to make certain beam balance challenges UV-only, with simpler challenges left for HMP and below.
  • Each key location could have also had dedicated sections involving variations to this beam-balancing gameplay using different hazards or combat setups.
• The overall visuals and design around here is very rough, many textures are misaligned and the general presentation feels a little too messy. I didn't take any screenshots because there's quite a lot of them to point out.
• If we compared it to the visuals found in the final arena, that area looks more polished boasting a nice texture scheme and style. Looks like a whole different map entirely plopped down side by side with this one.

Post-Exit Caco Swarm Arena:

• I had trouble during this fight, just couldn't figure out a good run, that's mostly on my behalf.
• It's not a bad concept though, overwhelming numbers while balancing around a death pit functions just fine.
• Health pickups did seem lacking, or rather the resources we do have access too are congested inside one of the more dangerous rooms. Most of the time it seemed like I just didn't have many good options with my routing to reach vital resources and couldn't corale enemies away without being overwhelmed.
  • Either an intentional design choice for challenge or maybe an oversight, I'd feel better to point this out just in case.
• As I complimented the BFG & Lost Soul dy-synergy quirk in the previous level, here that very concept plays out much more prominently except now with the new changes to Lost Souls their current numbers might be a bit too overtuned, primarily in the room with Spheres/Armour.
• BFG seems the most optimal weapon here with the speed at which enemies spawn in, but far far too risky with the potential projectile spam from Lost Souls on death and they litter the arena very fast.
• In the end I approached this fight as less of a battle to win and simply one to survive until the platform leading to the exit has risen enough to rush forward and complete the level.

General Afterthoughts:

I think E2M7 lacks some focus, throwing a bunch of ideas against the wall and seeing what sticks, but that lack of focus hurts what could be a distinct level if it clamps down on some core concepts it already builds upon. Right now it's like 3 confused levels merged together. E2M5 feels more cohesive and balanced by comparison. If the starting cavern was intergrated as a more organic portion of the key hunting section, maybe serving as a secondary pathway between areas once the main portions are unlocked, it won't feel so out of place and serve some non-linear functionality for key hunting. While at the same time doubling down on the level's core gimmick and exploring variations of that as suggested above, reducing any filler and making the pacing a little more snappy before heading over to the finale, it might feel like a more coherent level. But once again that would involve a significant amount of work it'd probably turn into a new level. Alternatively, skipping past the cave section might be a more appealing option to get straight to the main course as it should be the penultimate level for Phase 2 afterall.

 

E2M8: The Tower of the Dead

• I enjoyed this boss level albeit there's still room for some pacing improvements and minor polish.
• The starting berserker mosh pit honestly feels like a better version of E2M7's cave section, it's still not difficult but it's not boring either. I'm not too sure on it's purpose though considering the next segment with raising the platform fills in that gap well enough for a memorable combat setpiece. Again I don't dislike it's presense here since it works out as a cooldown after E2M7's finale while pumping you up for the fight coming up.
• Texture HOM here:
  
   
• I love the concept for the raising floor fight, like you're getting closer and closer to a big fight, however...
• 10 switches to raise it 10 times might be a bit too much, nothing seems to happen after each press either. I guess you could be pressing them while fighting off the insitial hordes spawning in, but I spent my time clearing the area first before doing anything. I guarantee most players will do this before proceeding on and then it becomes quiet for 9 more switches.
• I'd personally reduce to 3 minimum, each press pulling in some tougher enemy compositions, starting off tame and escalating as a fight for breathing space. Keeps the pacing snappier and to the point.
• While standing here (last platform raising switch) and trigger the wall (lift) the whole platform will lower to the very bottom, which then means waiting a long time to get back up to the top. Maybe have this sector also raise up alongside the big one so you don't need to apply a lift action here. Or have the lift only lower a small amount. Either option works, whichever seems more suitable.
  
   
• Is it possible to hide these monster pits? They stand out too much and I almost thought a trigger broke somewhere. Since you're using Boom format you could silently teleport those enemies in by making the usual monster closet outside the map and using doors/converyer belts to spawn them into position when you're ready. They won't need to be alerted beforehand either. Should have the same effect as here without the monster pits. I did a similar thing in my 50Shades level with the Mancubi near the exit (MAP05)
  
   
• These Bulldemons are stuck and can't do anything productive:
  
   
• I'm not sure if this idea will work well, but the finale on UV might benefit from a few turret-placement enemies to watch out for around the outer edge, maybe Cyberhellbarons, as it's a little easy to avoid the Cyberdemons. Those guys should (in theory) keep you wary with their more erractic projectile attacks and might push players to move back into the centre where the Cyberdemons are usually roaming around. They should serve as a good distraction. Again an untested idea, but the last fight might need a little more bite for an episode finale since many of the ground combatants are easy to avoid (or killed by Cyberdemon infighting).

 

E2M9: The Icon of S(imps)
Forgot to post thoughts on this one after finding the secret exit in my initial Phase 2 feedback, better late then never. Just a literal blast to play, it’s chill compared to the level preceding it but requires a little finesse to get started. Once a flow is established it just a cathartic experience blowing away imp after imp in large numbers. There’s not too much to say about this one besides it’s a nice reprieve after that “Epic Slaughter” arena in E2M4 and works well for pacing. It’s a relatively simple level in terms of goals and whether or not gunning down every imp is something you want to engage in. Fun change of pace and a suitable secret level gimmick.

 

Phew, Phase 2 complete. Good episode overall, on par with the first episode so far maybe with some stronger contenders. I'll be starting Phase 3 soon!

Again thanks for the great feedback, though I don't think I'll be making use of most of it to be honest, as I'm feeling quite burned out from this project already (that radical redesign of E2M7 especialy is the last thing I feel like doing right now...).

Edited September 10, 2023 by epicyolomaster420
fixed typo

[quakis]

Nah, it's cool, don't feel the need to redesign E2M7 or make major changes based off just one persons feedback, I'll never expect that from anyone. Also I feel you on the burnout, been there before myself. Taking a long break to seperate yourself from the project might reinvigorate that mood to strike again. This mapping hobby should remain fun at the end of the day, so feel free to take your time however long is required before continuing. I'll keep posting feedback and you can take from it as you see fit, whether you just want to focus on fixing any major bugs/issues for now and consider the rest of my feedback while working on any future projects instead.

Edited September 10, 2023 by quakis

[Keyboard_Doomer]

Hello,

 

we're going to play the first 1 or 2 (depending on how well or not well we'll do) episodes for Thursday Night Survival today. We might benefit from having more meat shields than usual so your participation will be appreciated.
The session starts 11 hours from the time of this reply and you can expect it to be fairly active for 4+ hours.
 

[epicyolomaster420]

10 hours ago, Keyboard_Doomer said:

Hello,

 

we're going to play the first 1 or 2 (depending on how well or not well we'll do) episodes for Thursday Night Survival today. We might benefit from having more meat shields than usual so your participation will be appreciated.
The session starts 11 hours from the time of this reply and you can expect it to be fairly active for 4+ hours.
 

OK I intend to join!

[epicyolomaster420]

Great news everyone! After what feels like forever this megawad is finaly fully finished and complete. It may have taken over 2 years and 1100 hours to get here (100 from everyone else involved in the project: @Proxy-MIDI, @AnArchaicApparatus, @DavidN, @Razza, @Herr Dethnout, @Philnemba, @noob_killer012345678  & 1000 by yours truly), but it was worth it. It is now about as close to perfection as I can make it, is something both I and all of you can truly be proud of and is (at least for me) a magnum opus of the highest order, comparable to only the most high quality megawads such as Sunlust, Eviternity, Heartland and even Sunder. I could not have done it without all of you however so consider this my final thank you (speaking to everyone who I've pinged so far)! I hope everyone likes playing this megawad as much as I liked working on it!

And while I'm on the subject of people liking this megawad I would like to call out a person who I think would really quite like it and a person who' s feedback on this (not so) humble project of mine (ours) would mean the world to me. The person I am talking about is @MtPain27. You see I am a huge Dean of Doom fan and have watched more or less every single Dean of Doom WAD review episode that was ever been put out on YouTube. Moreover I have even tried to encompass every bit of feedback the good dean has ever given out on the WAD's featured in the show into the design of this megawad, so MtPain27 if you are reading this, know that (if this isn't too much too ask) I would love nothing more than to see Cleanout get it's very own Dean of Doom episode (apart from Cleanout getting a cacoward of course, though I know that's out of both your and my control - maybe you can put in a good word for Cleanout to your veiwers though...)! 

 

[epicyolomaster420]

Also I forgot to mention: I also wrote what has to be the longest WAD README that has ever existed (812 lines) for each seperate soundtrack & included both in the zip files next to the WAD's, so if anyone likes reading than by all mean have at it (just make sure you free up at least half on hour...)!

Edited November 7, 2023 by epicyolomaster420
fixed typo

[Andromeda]

3 hours ago, epicyolomaster420 said:

Also I forgot to mention: I also wrote what has to be the longest WAD README that has ever existed (812 lines) for each seperate soundtrack & included both in the zip files next to the WAD's, so if anyone likes reading than by all mean have at it (just make sure you free up at least half on hour...)!

Deus Vult II's README is almost four times as long at 2908 lines.

[Finnisher]

Ok I am immediately super intrigued by the fact alone this is a Ultimate Doom full slaughterwad!

 

Screenshots look great too! Will try this out as soon as I can.

[epicyolomaster420]

6 hours ago, Andromeda said:

Deus Vult II's README is almost four times as long at 2908 lines.

Really? Well I guess I'm not a record breaker then...

[epicyolomaster420]

2 hours ago, Finnisher said:

Ok I am immediately super intrigued by the fact alone this is a Ultimate Doom full slaughterwad!

 

Screenshots look great too! Will try this out as soon as I can.

Thanks. It is quite unique in that. Also I've never actually seen an Ultimate Doom megawad utilize OTEX to this extent before so that's also a first (as far as I know...)! 

Edited November 8, 2023 by epicyolomaster420
fixed typo

[epicyolomaster420]

Also just so that everyone is aware there are 2 things you should all know about E4M6:

1. For some reason in GZDoom the map ends after you kill the last cyber even though the UMAPINFO specifies exactly that what should instead happen is the opening of a door tagged 666 in a voodoo doll closet. I don't know if this is an issue that occured only cause of my GZDoom being stupid (this happend on version 4.8.2) or if this could potencialy extend out to other ZDoom ports, much less know how to fix it, but I at least know that it works fine on boom ports, so if any of you have any trouble there switch to a boom port!

2. If the previous point doesn't end up being an issue for you and the 666 tagged door does open (triggering a floor in front of a teleporter to lower) then whatever you do DO NOT TRY TO RE-ENTER THE AREA YOU JUST TELEPORTED OUT FROM, as while this is possible (& some of you may find yourself tempted to do this if you missed any kills) it will result in a softlock (I literally only realized this a few hours ago...)!

Edited November 8, 2023 by epicyolomaster420
fixed typo

[Finnisher]

40 minutes ago, epicyolomaster420 said:

Thanks. Also yes it is quite unique in that. Also I've actually seen an Ultimate Doom megawad utilize OTEX to this extent before so that's also a first (as far as I know...)! 

 

Neat!

 

I'm quite looking forward to seeing how the encounters play out given so many slaughterwads are Doom 2 based and use Doom 2 specific enemies a lot to create challenge.

 

That said oh god I'll miss the super shotgun :D

Edited November 8, 2023 by Finnisher

[epicyolomaster420]

1 minute ago, Finnisher said:

 

Neat!

 

I'm quite looking forward to seeing how the encounters play out given so many slaughterwads are Doom 2 based and use Doom 2 specific enemies a lot to create challenge.

 

That said oh god I'll miss the super shotgun :D

Yes you might miss it, though if you play the encounters the way they were intended you're rocket launcher & BFG will be working overtime, so you won't really need it...

[Finnisher]

7 minutes ago, epicyolomaster420 said:

Yes you might miss it, though if you play the encounters the way they were intended you're rocket launcher & BFG will be working overtime, so you won't really need it...

 

yeah was thinking how often do I actually use it in say Sunder.... it's rocket launcher / plasma / BFG mostly lols!

 

Sounds good then!

[Finnisher]

Oh one more thing: you do say the wad does not "break" in continuous play but would you still suggest pistol starting each map on a first playthrough or is continuous considered appropriate?

 

I prefer playing continuous when possible as it eases you in and also adds the element of managing resources from level to level.

Edited November 8, 2023 by Finnisher

[epicyolomaster420]

Just now, Finnisher said:

Oh one more thing: you do say the wad does not "break" in continuous play but would you still suggest pistol starting each map on a first playthrough or is continuous considered appropriate?

Since the maps were designed for pistol start I would certainly reccomend and even encourage it (that "guarentee" that the wad will still not break on continuous is a bit of a weak one at this point - a lot of maps have swaped places and/or changed since then...). 

[Finnisher]

pistol start it is then, unless I feel it starts getting too hard for me at some point (I'd rather keep the difficulty and switch to continuous than lower difficulty).

[epicyolomaster420]

10 minutes ago, Finnisher said:

pistol start it is then, unless I feel it starts getting too hard for me at some point (I'd rather keep the difficulty and switch to continuous than lower difficulty).

Great! Also I just updated the WAD's with the fix to the E4M6 softlock. Ever since I realized shortly after finding it that fixing it would be actually quite easy my uber-perfectionism wouldn't let it go...